Fujifilm harnesses silver for new touch-screen technology

Fujifilm is looking to bring down the cost of touch screen technology by harnessing materials and manufacturing expertise used in creating film emulsions.Touch screens are quickly becoming the standard interface of nearly every piece of mobile technology. Currently these screens utilize the fairly rare metal, indium. Due to its rarity, indium is responsible for a significant portion in the cost of current touch screen displays. According to Cody Acree, an analyst at Williams Financial Group indium alone adds up to $180 in cost for a 23 – 27″ display. Fujifilm hopes to use its long history with silver to bring down the cost of these displays and grab a piece of the quickly expanding touch screen market.(via Bloomberg)

Comments

SILVER??? On the short, but not on the long run. Here’s why:http://www.visualcapitalist.com/portfolio/the-silver-series-the-history-of-silver-part-1http://www.visualcapitalist.com/portfolio/the-silver-series-supply-and-demand-part-2http://www.visualcapitalist.com/the-silver-series-investment-part-3

This is why Fujifilm is still in business and Kodak is not. From cosmetics to medical equipment, they’ve done a pretty good job of evolving. At least better than Kodak.

Funny that Fuji is the company talking about cost of the touchscreens when they are NOT using them that much…:D

technology, shmenology, learn how to make a decent camera first, Fuji!

What like the XP1, XE1, X100, X100s or the X20? Can’t get much better than those in my opinion…

Yes, they’re decent cameras. However, these cameras (at least the released ones) all have focusing issues. If the cameras could focus consistently, they would be MUCH better.

slower to focus using CDAF is not really ‘focusing issues’

They’re good cameras.

@chexmixing

Focusing issues on the newer X100S and X20? 0.08 seconds not fast enough for you?

Great to hear that Fuji is addressing both cost and availability of a key technology for user interfaces. I hope they are successful with it.

Touch screens are not tactile. Buttons and dials FTW.

Did you just use the abbreviation for “for the win?” That’s a rather immature expression, but perhaps fitting when one espouses a view that touch screens and buttons and dials are some sort of dichotomy … take a look at the definitions for “complement” and “augment” … then grab yourself a Panasonic m4/3 camera to try out …

I want some new photo-films and affordable full-colour, high-resolution film scanners. Can we get them, Fujifilm? Please?

I assume that future Fujifilm cameras with 27″ touchscreens will be 180 dollars cheaper? Great.

This is really going to freak out all the old people buying Fuji’s for nostalgia sake. LOL. MEDIC!

I doubt it old people are the ones who run t these companies the younger one are their subordinates

Touch screens may be quickly becoming the standard interface, however, for touchscreens to replace the more positive physical “touch” of real buttons and dials would be a shame. As a feature you can turn off or customize sure, but don’t leave me with only touch screens please!

Started out doing photography at the age of 6 using an uncle's old 1940 kodak brownie box camera. At 15 years of age, I decided to buy my very own 1975 Praktica SLR camera. I now shoot with Nikon DSLR equipment. I do unpaid TFP and paid work.